I'm shocked!

It's of the "micromanage every aspect of A.'s life" category.

Mom: Do you have any vacation time saved up? Are you coming to visit soon?

What A. does not say: Vacation time isn't the problem; I'm not coming to visit you because you've taken to insulting me much too often, and I'm not going to go out of my way to put myself through that.

A.: I do have vacation time.

Mom: Where would you go on vacation?

A.: Well, I'm going to San Francisco the last week of September...

Mom: San Francisco??? San Francisco?!! Why on earth would you want to go to San Francisco? You've been there; what are you going to do there? Why are you going to San Francisco?

[I have been there-- I went almost six years ago and absolutely loved it. Of course, that time, I allowed my mother to manipulate me into buying her a ticket too, on account of my trip coinciding with her birthday and how dare I not be around for that. We flew in together; she went to her friend's house; I went to my friend's house; and we reconnected and returned to Boston together at the end of the trip.]

A.: There's a lot to do in San Francisco, and two of my closest friends live there. I'm really looking forward to seeing them. [And honestly, to going to a city that I've explored before, so that I don't feel the need to constantly do touristy things-- but I couldn't say that, because my mother cut me off.]

Mom: Well, that's just shocking. Shocking! I am SHOCKED.

A.: Well, you can be shocked.

Mom: I am shocked.

A.: Okay, then.

Mom: Now, did you get all the stuff I forwarded you yesterday? You have to stay informed about what's going on in the Middle East.

A.: I have access to the internet, mom.


I could go on, but I think we've had enough.